Fear
by supersquirrel19
Summary: "'Her time is up because of you. How long to go until you go too'" Beckett reads aloud. "It's a threat." "Yeah but look who the note is addressed to." Lanie turns the paper over in Beckett's hand. It reads 'Kate Beckett'. What happens when a mysterious suspect threatens Beckett and her family?
1. Chapter 1

The warm sun filters in from the shades onto Kate's cluttered desk. It is piled high with paperwork but she has been making a good dent in it over the past few hours. Being captain of her own precinct definitely has its perks, more time with Castle, watching her child grow up, but this, however, is not one of them.

She is filling out a form for Ryan and Esposito, who just closed a difficult case, when she hears a knock on her door. Beckett finishes writing one last thing then looks up from her work to see a smiling Castle with a bag full of food and an excited little two year old girl who is the perfect combination of her parents.

"Hey, thought you might be in need a break so Jo and I thought we'd stop by and visit," he says.

"Thank you, Castle. This is wonderful," she replies as a smile breaks across her face. She stands up from her chair and takes a few steps over to take her squirming baby girl and place a light kiss on her husband's lips.

"Hi sweet princess," Beckett coos. The girl plops a wet kiss to Kate's cheek in response which in turn elicits a laugh from her mother and father.

"Yo, Beckett, Ryan and I caught a murder so we're heading out," Esposito peaks in to inform the captain.

"Okay," Beckett replies, not really listening because all of her attention is on her daughter. At least until her child catches sight of her uncle.

"Uncle Javi!" The toddler exclaims.

"Hey princess," Esposito greets as Beckett passes her kid over.

"Jav, you coming?" Ryan grabs his jacket off the back of his chair and he walks over to where Esposito is standing.

"Yeah, just getting my toddler fix in first."

"Hi Uncle Kevin!" Johanna gives an over exaggerated wave to get Ryan's attention.

"Hey there Johanna. What're you doing here?" Ryan walks closer to the pair so he can place a kiss to his niece's forehead.

"Daddy and I bringed mommy lunch bacuz daddy said that sometimes mommy forgets and that's not good." Kate blushes and Castle moves closer to place a hand on her back and a soft kiss to her head, a gesture which is not lost on her.

"Oh well aren't you the best?" Ryan replies with a huge grin on his face. Johanna just eagerly nods her head in response.

"Okay give me my baby back. Go solve a crime." Kate stretches her arms out and waits for Esposito to place Johanna back into them.

"Later," Esposito says as he and Ryan head toward the elevator and then to the crime scene.

Kate immediately focuses her attention back to her family. "Alright you little monster what'd you bring me."

* * *

The Castle family walks out of Beckett's office sometime later full and happy. Johanna is asleep on her daddy's shoulder and Kate and Rick are mid conversation when Kate suddenly stops and does a double take to look at the murder board.

"Is that your victim?" Kate stands dumbfounded, eyes locked on the picture of the young girl whose life was taken too soon.

"Yeah. Why?" It's Ryan who pipes up and starts towards the board.

"Beckett, what is it?" Castle asks with increasing worry.

"I know her." Kate reaches to take the photo down and study it further.

"What? How?" Esposito joins the conversation as he also comes over to join the group in front of the board.

"Castle, it's Anna. Anna O'Donnell." Kate hands him the picture and he studies it for a minute before he realizes who the victim is.

"The girl who won your mom's scholarship?"

"Yeah." She takes the picture back and places it up on the board. She then turns her attention to her detectives. "What happened to her?"

"She was found stabbed to death in alley this morning," Ryan answers.

"Who would do that? She was such a good kid." Kate looks forlorn and in turn the look of worry on Castle's face increases tenfold.

"That's what we're going to find out," Esposito says.

After a few moments of solemn silence, Beckett's phone rings.

"Beckett," she answers.

"Hey it's Lanie. I have something you need to see. And bring Esposito and Ryan. It's related to their case."

* * *

The doors to the morgue swing open as Beckett, Esposito, and Ryan enter, Castle having left to take Johanna home.

"Lanie what's up?" Beckett gets right down to business.

"I found this in the stomach contents of our victim." She hands Beckett a piece of paper in a plastic evidence bag. It's worn by the stomach acid but the ink on it is still readable.

"'Her time is up because of you. How long to go until you go too?'" Beckett reads aloud. "It's a threat."

"Yeah but look who the note is addressed to." Lanie turns the paper over in Beckett's hand. It reads 'Kate Beckett'.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Thank you so, so much for all of the reviews, favorites and follows. You guys have no idea how much it means to me. Hope you like this chapter. :)

* * *

"This was meant for me." Beckett's face has now turned from serious to scared. "Anna is dead because this guy wanted to send me a message."

"Yeah a death threat. This creep wants you dead," Esposito says.

"I can handle it. I've dealt with worse." Kate is still staring at the note in her hand, studying the writing. "This is handwritten. In calligraphy. That's rare. Ryan, see if Tory can do anything with that."

"You got it." Ryan takes the note from Beckett and heads out to start making a dent in this case. Beckett then directs her attention back to Lanie.

"Is there anything else, Lane?"

"Not really. This guy may be good with his words but he is definitely not skilled when it comes to a knife." Lanie starts circling the body to point out the wounds that are scattered across Anna's body. "The stab wounds are sloppy and only one of them hits a major artery. Although, from what I gather that was sheer luck. This guy was all over the place."

"So he's bad at murder," Kate mutters.

"That probably rules out anyone you've put away," Esposito adds, trying to be helpful and narrow the suspect pool.

"Yeah. We still got a lot of suspects, though. Thanks Lanie." Kate and Esposito begin to walk out of the morgue when Lanie calls her back.

"Kate." She spins around and looks into Lanie's eyes. When she sees the worry, she turns back and nods to Esposito as sign for him to leave. When Beckett is focused back on Lanie, she continues. "You're going to tell Castle about this right?"

"Yeah. I will." Kate becomes quiet and turns her attention on the floor. "I have to. If something happens to me..."

"Nothing is going to happen to you," Lanie interrupts. "We're gonna figure this out."

"Lanie, I just received a death threat by way of a nineteen year old girl who did nothing wrong. This is not a normal case."

"You know none of us are gonna let this dirt bag come within three feet of you, right?"

"I know. But, um, if something happens, and I'm not saying that it will, I just... just make sure Johanna knows how much I love her. Remind her of me every now and then. Be there for her like I would." Tears are welling up in Kate's eyes at the very possibility of leaving her daughter.

"Oh, Kate. Honey, I'm never going to need to do that because Johanna is never going to be without you. We both know Castle ain't ever gonna allow that to happen. But yes, I will always be there for her."

"Yeah." Kate nods and wipes the water from her eyes. "Thanks, Lane. I better get going."

"Be safe."

"I will."

* * *

When Beckett arrives back a precinct about an hour later, she finds Castle sitting in her office waiting for her. His leg is bouncing and his head is in his lap. When he looks up at the sound of her entering the room, Kate notices the lines etched on his face from worry. Worry for her.

"Hey. What did Lanie have?" He questions.

"Nothing good. Where's Jo?"

"With my mother." Castle begins to panic when he spies the distressed look on his wife's face. "What's going on?"

Kate takes a deep breath. "Castle, I need you to stay calm when I tell you this."

Her words elicit the opposite response from Rick. Kate continues anyway, knowing if she doesn't do it now, she's never going to tell him how much danger she's in.

"Lanie found a note in the victim's stomach contents. It was a death threat."

Castle's eyes widen in shock and worry. He springs up from the chair so he's at Kate's level. "For who? Kate, for who?" Every bad scenario is running through his head and he needs Kate to tell him that she's going to be okay.

"For me." The words are barely a whisper but Castle hears them nonetheless.

"What!?" Castle screams so loud that most people in the bullpen turn their heads to stare. Kate immediately moves the shut the door and give them more privacy.

"Castle, calm down. The boys are going to figure this out."

"I know that, but don't you think I have a right to be upset that my wife is receiving death threats?"

"Yes. You have every right. I'm not saying that you don't." She stops and stares at the ground. "You're not the only one who's scared, Castle."

He moves to her and places his hands on her upper arms. "You never get scared."

"Yeah well, that changes when you have a kid. You should know that better than anyone." Kate looks up into Castle's eyes and with that one move the feel in room shifts to a serious one. "Look if something happens to me..."

"No, I'm not talking about this." Castle shakes his head but never lets go of Kate's arms.

"Castle, just listen to me. If something happens you have to promise me that you and Jo will be okay."

"Yes. I promise. But nothing is going to happen to you." The way he looks at her gives her reassurance and for a second it feels like nothing is wrong. He's always had the power to do that. To take away all her problems and make her feel safe. But just when it seems that everything really will be okay, the bubble is popped by a knock on the door. Ryan pokes his head in.

"Hey, Tory's got something."

* * *

"It turns out this style of calligraphy is unique. It's only taught one place in the city. By a man named Lee Chung." Tory stands at her keyboard filling them in on what she's found.

"Ryan, head down there and see if you can get a list of students. One of them has to be our killer." Beckett orders.

"Yeah. The text me that address, Tory." Ryan heads out with his new assignment.

"Anything else?" Kate asks.

"Yeah, I found video footage from outside the alley where Anna was found. Here you see her walking in. Fast forward a few minutes and this guy follows her." Tory highlights a guy, about five feet five inches tall, face obscured by the black hoodie he's wearing.

"Who are you?" Kate murmurs as she stares intently at the screen.

"Uh this might be a stupid question, but why was Anna walking down a dark alley in the middle of the night anyway?" Castle finally speaks.

Kate turns around and smiles at him. "Not stupid, Castle. Might be the question we needed."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N - So this week has been crazy and that's why this hasn't gone up until now. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the reviews and follows and favorites. I appreciate each and every one. I never fancied myself a writer so this is like amazing for me. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

"Hey Espo, have you found anything that might indicate why Anna was in that alley last night?" Beckett asks as she walks out of Tory's tech room with Castle not far behind.

"I've scanned her financials and phone records and here's what I've found. She was broke. She had all of two dollars in her bank account."

"Hence why she needed that scholarship," Castle concludes.

"Yeah and she was so desperate for money that she responded to an anonymous text about a job offer."

"Who responds to a job offer when you don't even know who it's coming from?" Kate questions.

"Someone who really needs the money. Anyway the text said to meet at an office building at 46th and Lex, which is only a block from where we found the body."

"So she goes to the interview and then what? Gets killed there and is taken to the alley?" Castle theorizes.

"No. Tory has video footage of a man in a hoodie following our vic into that alley," Kate reminds him. "She had to of gone to the interview and either left without it ever occurring or our killer put on a whole fake interview for her."

"Either way, it ended with the killer following her from the building down to that alley. I checked the direction she was heading. It was a short cut back to her place," Esposito provides.

"So are we thinking the text came from our killer?" Kate probes.

"That's exactly what I'm thinking. Unfortunately the text came from a burner so it's untraceable."

"Hopefully Ryan has better luck with the calligraphy," Castle says, trying to be positive.

"We might." Ryan walks over from the elevator to join the group. He's holding up his notepad in a show of success. "I got a list of names from Mr. Chung. He even pointed out one guy in particular who gave him a creepy feeling."

"Who?" Kate asks, her body following Ryan over to his computer and watching as he types a name into the database.

"Alex King. I'm looking him up now. Here we go." The screen pops with Alex's record as the rest of the team gathers around Ryan's computer. "Multiple drunk and disorderlies and one arrest for driving under the influence. He even refused to cooperate with the arresting officer."

"Okay. None of that screams murderer," Kate says.

"Does he have any connection to the victim or to Kate?" Castle inquires.

Ryan scans the information in front of him for any indication that their suspect had any connection to the 12th or to Beckett. "Not an obvious one. I'll bring him in. See what he knows."

"Okay." Kate nods and then turns to Castle. "I'm going to go finish up some paperwork and then we can go. Espo, let me know if you find anything else."

* * *

The room is golden and filled with laughter. Castle is at the kitchen island making pancakes for his girls while Johanna sits in her high chair giggling at her father as he makes silly faces at her.

"Hey," Beckett greets sleepily as she pads out her bedroom.

"Morning," Castle greets back. Johanna notices the sounds and looks around to see her mother coming towards her and planting a kiss on her head.

"Are you coming in with me today?" Kate places a light kiss to his lips.

"Yeah, I had wanted to, but Alexis has class, my mother is treating herself to a "day with the girls" and your father is out of town."

"So that's a no, then," Kate says with sadness in her voice and written all over her face. Or maybe it's fear - fear that something might happen and Castle won't be there to help her through it.

"Unfortunately."

"Okay. Then I'm going to go get ready and then I'll eat."

* * *

A few minutes later Beckett is dressed and ready, putting on the finishes touches of her father's watch and her engagement ring on its chain around her neck when she hears her daughter's noisy footsteps enter the room. She looks down to see the girl standing in the doorway staring up at her. But before she can ask what's wrong, Jo speaks.

"Mommy why do you look so sad?" The sorrow that tints Johanna's tiny voice nearly breaks Kate's heart in half. She quickly walks over to her daughter and scoops her up, sitting down on the bed with Jo in her lap.

"I'm not sad, baby." Jo doesn't look convinced. It's crazy how even at two years old she knows her mother well enough to know when she's not alright. Yup, she's definitely Castle's child. "You know how Mommy goes to work and fights all the bad guys?" Jo nods her head. "Well, right now there's one bad guy that Mommy and Uncle Kevin, and Uncle Javi are having a hard time catching. It's stressing me out. But you know what? Coming home to you and Daddy always makes me feel better. You are my perfect little angel. And I love you." Kate kisses the top of Jo's head and then buries her nose in the soft brown curls that mirror her own.

Castle stood in the doorway watching his wife breathe in the scent of his daughter. He had sought them out when Jo had disappeared from the living room and he came looking for her only to find Kate explaining what's going on to their child. He knows how hard this is for her. He knows how scared she is. This is exactly what she needs. She needs her family, their family.

He knocks lightly on the door frame in order to grab their attention without startling them. Kate looks up and smiles.

"Okay baby," she says to Jo, "Mommy has to leave for work, but you and Daddy are going to have a great time today. And when I come home later, I will spend as much time with you as you want. I promise." She plants one more kiss to Jo's head before she stands and passes the girl to Castle. She then deposits a soft kiss to his lips and says goodbye.

* * *

Beckett walks into the precinct like a woman on a mission. She has to solve this case before it becomes even more deadly. She struts over to the boys' desks and when she notices that only Esposito is there.

"Hey, we got anything new?"

"Yeah. Ryan's interviewing Alex king now."

"Let's go watch." Kate struts over to the observation booth with Espo close behind.

In the booth, Ryan is seated across from their suspect. Alex looks calm. He's not nervous and that is cause for alarm. Either he didn't do it or he did and he's confident in the fact that they are never going to nail on it.

"So, Alex where were you last night?" Ryan questions.

"I was at a party with my bros. You can ask them. There are pictures online. Tons of them."

"Okay. Do you know this man?" Ryan places a photo of Lee Chung on the table.

"Yeah. I learned how to do calligraphy from him. So what?"

"Do you know this woman?" He places a picture of Anna in front of Alex. He has no reaction, no tells that he has any idea who she is.

"No. Who is she?"

"She's the woman you killed last night."

"What?! No. I didn't kill her. I told you I was at a party."

"And I will be confirming that. But, this note," Ryan throws the note down, "was found in our victim."

"In? What do you mean in?"

"It was in her stomach. Did you write this?"

"Yeah. Yeah I wrote it. I didn't know it was gonna end up in a dead girl's body."

"Then why did you write it?"

"A friend asked me to."

"Who?"

"Alyssa Morgan."

Upon hearing the name, Beckett's head perks up.

"What?" Esposito senses the change in Beckett.

"Alyssa Morgan is Tyson Morgan's little sister. I put him away for murder."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N - Hey guys :) I hope life is treating all of you well. Thank you so much for all the follows and favorites. I appreciate them all. Enjoy!

* * *

Beckett storms out of the observation booth and heads straight to the murder board. She grabs a pen and adds the new information. Esposito is close behind and after a few minutes Ryan makes his way over, his interrogation done.

"So who is Alyssa Morgan?" Ryan inquiries.

"Alyssa Morgan is the sister of Tyson Morgan, who I put away for murder two years ago. It was one of my last cases before Johanna was born."

"That was the case with the guy who had his penis chopped off, right?" Esposito shudders at the memory. It was gruesome showing up the crime scene and seeing all that blood. Lanie holding the precious appendage in her hand. Trying to wrap their brains around how a man could do that to another man. The memory alone was enough to make him want to throw up.

"Yeah. Morgan killed his sister's boyfriend Gerard Long because he thought she was too young to be having sex. What makes it worse is that by putting Morgan away, it left Alyssa with no family. Their parents died in a car crash four years before that case."

"That's a motive for murder. If you took away her only family she might want you to know the pain she's felt," Ryan says.

"Bring her in. I want to know what she knows," Kate demands.

Just as Esposito is going to his desk to look up Alyssa Morgan's information, his phone rings. He answers and after a few seconds he hangs up. "We got another murder."

* * *

Lanie is already there and examining the body when Beckett, Ryan, and Esposito pull up. Beckett wastes no time getting out of the boys' cruiser and down to business.

"What do we got?"

"Anthony Stewart, 41. Stabbed to death. The wounds appear to be similar to ones on Anna O'Donnell's body, but I'll have to confirm that when I get back to the morgue," Lanie fills her in.

"Wait, Anthony Stewart? I know him. We were friends in college," Beckett says.

"I figured you might know him. I found another note. Only this time it wasn't in the stomach contents. It was jammed into one of the stab wounds."

"Here." Ryan hands Beckett the evidence bag he received from one of the uniforms on the scene. The note contains the same style of writing so it's definitely from the same killer.

"'Two down how many to go? Who knows Kate maybe I'll put on a show. An audience would be great to watch me take out my greatest foe.'" Kate is starting to panic. Her internal monologue has become a string of questions. _Where is he going to find his audience? My family? Are Castle and Johanna in danger? Oh god, what if I can't protect them?_

"We need to catch this guy before anyone else dies." Esposito breaks her from her thoughts.

"Yeah. Keep working. I trust you guys." Beckett begins to head back towards the car. "I need to go home and take care of some things."

"Wait, Beckett, what things?" Ryan shouts after her.

"I need to get Castle and Johanna somewhere safe. I'll be back later. Don't stop working this."

* * *

Beckett opens the door to the loft and searches the premises for any signs that someone other than her husband and daughter have been here. When she sees none she calls out frantically for Castle.

"Beckett?" He replies from his office, obviously confused as to why she's home so early. She rushes off in that direction and finds him sitting at his computer writing, or at least he was before she interrupted, Johanna sitting over by the window coloring.

"Castle. You need to get Jo and Alexis and Martha and head to the Hamptons house. Now."

"Whoa, Kate, slow down. What's going on?" He stands up from his chair and makes his way over to her. The concern in his eyes almost floors Kate. If she loses him because of her, she will never be able to live with herself.

"There's another body. Another note. I need you to get somewhere safe. Please."

"No. I'm not leaving you here by yourself, unprotected."

"Rick, this isn't about me anymore. This is about our daughter. This is about keeping her safe. And right now she's not. I won't be able to focus and solve this case unless I know she is safe somewhere away from here. So please, please Rick, go to the Hamptons."

"Okay." Castle engulfs her in bear hug. He doesn't want to leave her, but she's right. Their daughter's safety comes first. That's the deal they made when she was born. And if there's one thing he knows, it's to never break a deal with Kate Beckett.

Kate walks back into the office minutes later with a bag full of Johanna's things. Sitting on top of the bag is Beary the bear, Johanna's favorite stuffed animal that goes on every trip with her. The sound of Kate entering the room makes Johanna look up from her drawings. As soon as she spots her bear, she knows something is going on.

"Mommy, where we going?"

"You and daddy are going to the beach house." Kate looks over her shoulder into the bedroom to check on Castle's progress. He's almost done packing his bag and then they can head out to safety.

"Without you?"

"Yeah. I have to stay here, baby." Kate walks over to her daughter and joins her on the floor. "But daddy is going to take really good care of you. And I'll see you in a few days."

"But you said when you comed home you'd play with me. You pomised."

"I know, sweetie, I know. But I can't. I have to catch a bad guy."

"But you pomised!" Tears begin welling in the girl's eyes and roll down her cheeks. Kate pulls Jo into her lap and rocks her back and forth.

"Sometimes grownups have to break promises. But it's always for a good reason. I promise you that if this wasn't important I would be here with you and daddy all day. I know I'm breaking a promise to you, baby, but I have to and I need you to understand that."

"Okay." Johanna sniffles a few times, but her crying has stopped. Kate hears the thud of Rick's bag hit the floor and she knows it's time to say goodbye.

"Okay. So um, you and daddy are going to go. And I will see you soon. I love you so much, Johanna. More than you will ever know." Tears now begin forming in Kate's eyes. She's trying hard to control her emotions, but it's just not working.

"Don't cry mommy. I don't wike it when you cry." Johanna wraps her arms around her mother's neck and holds on for a good while. "I love you mommy."

"I love you. I love you. I love you," Kate whispers into Johanna's messy curls.

"Kate, you have to let her go." Castle chimes in. He knows the longer they stay like this, the less likely Kate is to let him take Johanna, even if it is for her own safety.

"Yeah, okay. Bye baby." She places one more kiss to Jo's head and then releases her.

"Bye mommy." Johanna waves goodbye as she heads over to where her father is. Kate stands up and walks in the same direction. The tears are still flowing and she sees no sign of them stopping.

"You have to take care of her. Keep her safe."

"I will. Don't ever doubt that I will."

"I love you so much, Rick. So, so much."

"I love you too, Kate. Always." He kisses her hard. He never wants to stop but the need for air forces them to. "Be safe. Don't do anything stupid. I don't want to raise our daughter alone."

"I will. I promise." One more kiss is shared between them before Kate pushes him away. If she doesn't make them leave now, she'll never let them go.

* * *

Castle is struggling to get Johanna into her car seat. She does not want to leave her mother. Castle doesn't either for that matter but at least he has the knowledge of why they have to leave. He hands Jo Beary and she seems to calm a little, or at least enough to get her buckled in. "Okay, sweetie, we are good to go."

"I beg to differ." Castle hears an unfamiliar voice say just as he feels a stabbing pain in his neck. He turns around to see a masked man and instantly knows they're in trouble. His first thought is Johanna. If they hurt her he will kill them, no hesitation.

He drops to floor, his legs unable to support his weight anymore. He can see the man walk over to the car and unbuckle his daughter. He tries to move but he can't. He's watching as another man comes over. They take Jo out of the car and transport her to another. He then watches as they come back, pick him up off the ground, and take him to the same car, only he gets to ride in the trunk. Great. So much for keeping their child safe.


	5. Chapter 5

Beckett arrives back at the precinct an hour later. She's focused, gaze fixed straight ahead and ready to take down the asshole that's threatening her. Ryan is at his desk looking into their latest victim while Esposito is in the interrogation room finishing up his conversation with Alyssa Morgan. Beckett walks over to Ryan to check on his progress.

"Hey, what have you found?"

"Phone records and financials are all normal, at least for him. He attended a charity event last night for Wide View. They aid in cancer research. He donated $100,000 in his mother's name. She died of cancer last year."

"So how did our killer get to him?"

"I don't know. I'm heading down there now, see if I can get a guest list, maybe the killer was there."

"Okay."

Esposito walks out of interrogation just as Ryan begins to head to the elevator. He's shaking his head, defeated. He walks over to the board to update it as well as fill in Beckett.

"So, Alyssa Morgan knows absolutely nothing."

"What? How is that possible?"

"She says she doesn't even know Alex King. Never seen him before in her life. She's glad her bother is in jail. She hates him after he what he did to her boyfriend. So, she has no reason to hate you. But just in case, I'm going to check her alibis for Anna and Andrew's murders."

"If it wasn't Alyssa, then who was it? Who has a reason to want me dead?"

* * *

The room is dark. There's a small window at the top of the wall but the light that flows in does nothing. The floor is filthy. It's covered in blood. Like someone was tortured there. Or beaten. Castle lays on the floor, unconscious and bleeding. Johanna sits in the dark corner of the small room occupying herself by playing with her hands and feet.

Castle begins to stir. He opens his eyes and scans the room. He remembers they took Johanna as well and when he doesn't see her he jumps to a seated position. "Johanna!?" She crawls out of the corner and into the light. That's when he sees the cuts on her head, cheek, and arms. They hurt his daughter. Worse, they hurt Beckett's daughter. They just walked down a dangerous road.

"Oh, baby come here." She crawls over to him and climbs into his lap. He examines her injuries and while he is a little concerned about the gash on her forehead, he concludes that she's fine. He kisses the top of her head. "Everything is going to be okay," he promises. "Mommy is going to find us. She always does."

* * *

Ryan walks off the elevator looking crushed. He walks over to Beckett who is standing at the murder board running through all of their evidence in her head. Without Castle and one of his crazy theories she's at a loss. Whenever she's stuck like this he helps her figure it out. She can't do this without him.

"Hey, so no guest list until I get a warrant," Ryan informs.

Esposito's head pops up from his desk in shock. "What do mean no list until we get a warrant? Don't they realize that some psycho is out there trying to kill a cop?"

"They do and they don't want some of their more prominent guests and donors implicated or even involved in a murder case. So no list until we get a warrant."

"So we get a warrant," Beckett says as she walks back to her office.

* * *

Castle is rocking Johanna back and forth trying to calm the sobs that started just a few minutes ago. The stress of the situation was getting to her. She just wanted to go home where it was safe and normal. Castle couldn't really blame her, he wanted to cry right about now too. But the only way they're getting out of this is if he stays strong. This way if something goes wrong at least Jo has a fighting chance.

A loud bang comes from the door followed by an ear piercing squeak which only makes Johanna burrow deeper into her father's chest. The large metal door swings open and a beam of light is cast onto the floor. A man walks in and sets a tray of food in front of them. It's not much, not enough for both of them, but it's something. Castle looks up at the man, tries to see who he is, who they're dealing with, but he's wearing a mask. "Why are you doing this? Let us go."

"Shut up and eat your food. You need to be alive for what we have planned." That's the only reply Castle gets before the door is slammed shut and they're in the dark again.

* * *

Beckett is pacing back and forth in her office. It's been hours since Castle left for the Hamptons and he hasn't called. If something was wrong he would call. He always calls. She picks up her phone and calls again. Nothing but voicemail. This is cause for alarm. Someone wants her dead and her husband isn't answering his phone. There is no way this ends well. Beckett grabs her coat and heads out to the bullpen.

"Beckett, hey, I'm about to go get that guest list from Wide View. Are you okay?" Ryan asks when he sees the look on her face.

"Uh no. Castle isn't answering his phone. He should have been in the Hamptons by now. Something is wrong."

"You're sure he's not just stuck in traffic or forgot or something?" Esposito asks.

"No, no. He always calls. Always. I have to go back to the loft." She starts to make a break for the elevator, but Espo grabs her arm and pulls her back.

"No," he says, "you're not going alone. There is a guy out there who wants you dead. No way are we letting you go anywhere by yourself."

"I can handle it."

"No, Javi's right. Look, I'll go get the list and you and Javi go find Castle. We can do this. We'll figure this out."

"Okay, yeah. Thanks."

* * *

"Yeah, Alexis, I'll let you know when I find him." Beckett hangs up her phone. They're walking into the parking garage and over to where his car is usually parked. They checked upstairs in the loft first, but everything was exactly how she left it. She called Alexis to make sure he just didn't forget, but she is as worried as Kate.

"She hasn't seen him?" Javi asks to clarify what he overheard.

"No. Something's wrong, Jav, I can feel it. This isn't like him." They come up on his parking spot and Kate stops dead in her tracks at the sight of his car. "What is his car doing here?"

Esposito starts making his way over to the car. "Stay back. We don't know what's here." Beckett rolls her eyes and follows him anyway. He looks in the windows on the driver's side and sees nothing. Beckett walks over to the passenger side and sees the door wide open and on the ground lays the last thing she wanted to find, Beary the bear.

"Javi!" She calls. He rushes over and stops and stares at the ground where she's looking. "Jo never goes anywhere without him." She picks up her daughter's bear and stares dejectedly at it. "They were taken. Someone took them."

"Kate." Esposito is kneeling and picking something up.

"What is it?"

"It looks like the end of a needle. I'll get CSU down here."

* * *

A/N I know this chapter seemed really choppy but this is where my brain took it. I could never come up with enough to make just one of these scenes a full chapter so i just kinda mashed them all together. I think it works okay though. I also know this chapter ends kind of abruptly but I wanted some suspense so it just happened. Anyway, thanks for all the follows and favorites and reviews. It means a lot. I'm trying to figure out how many chapters this is going to be, but I know it probably won't be more than 10. So, stay tuned for more. :)


	6. Chapter 6

A/N Hey guys! Once again I would just like to thank everyone who left a review or hit follow or fave. It really does mean a lot to me. I just want to remind you guys that I am not a crime fighter. I don't know anything about medications or anything like that. I am also not a New Yorker, so any mistakes in science or locations are mine. I'm not perfect, but I did as much research as I could to make it as accurate as possible. So with that said, enjoy! :)

* * *

Back at the precinct, Beckett sits at her desk. She's at a loss. Esposito told her to come back and run things here while he stayed behind to run the scene. What good does that do? She's just sitting starring at the wall unable to move because her brain is full of worst case scenarios. They could be hurt - or worse.

Ryan pulls her from her thoughts. "Hey, I got that list." Beckett stands and follows him out of the room and over to his desk. His computer displays five profiles. "What do you got?" Beckett asks.

"These are all the guests whose names popped in our system."

Beckett takes a moment to thoroughly study the images presented. "None of these people look familiar and they aren't related to anything I've worked in the last few years. So, we have nothing."

"Well, there is one person who doesn't seem to exist."

"What do you mean 'doesn't exist'?"

"I mean he didn't pop in our system and his name doesn't match his DMV photo."

"Why didn't you lead with that? Show me." Ryan pulls up the picture of one Tyler Vonn. He has brown hair and a kind but crooked smile. "I know him. His name is not Tyler Vonn. It's Robert Marrow." Kate drops her head into one of her hands and shakes it.

"How do you know him?"

"He was friends with Gerard Long."

"The guy that Tyson Morgan killed?"

"Yeah. I brought Marrow in to question him about the case. He said he did it. He had this great story about how he hated Long and he hated Alyssa so he stabbed Long. Long was shot. He wasn't even stabbed. I knew he didn't do it. And I told him that. I told him he was incapable of committing murder." She exhales sharply, realizing why this is happening. "He's proving me wrong, Kevin. We have to find him."

"I'll have Tory run him. See if we can track him. We'll find him and we'll find Castle and Jo."

* * *

"Okay, here's what I know about Robert Marrow." Tory has pulled Ryan and Beckett into her lair to show them what she's found. Her screen is full of multiple documents all detailing some aspect of Robert Marrow's life. "He was an honors student. Graduated magna cum laude from NYU. He's a nurse at Mount Sinai. And he's a bit of loner. No social media accounts and the only contact I can find between him and someone other than our victims is with Alex King."

"King lied. Bring him back in." Beckett demands. Ryan nods and rushes out of the room, almost running into Esposito.

"Hey, CSU found traces of succinylcholine on the needle."

Tory types on the keyboard and brings up a new page. "Succinylcholine is a drug commonly used in hospitals for muscle relaxation."

The pieces begin to click in Beckett's brain. "Marrow is a nurse. He would have easy access to that drug. We need to find him. Now."

* * *

"Alex King," Ryan greets as he steps into the interrogation room. Alex is seated with a confused and worried look on his face.

"Why am I here? I told you everything I know."

"See, I don't think you did." Ryan pulls a photo of Marrow out of his folder and slaps it down on the table. "Do you know him?" Alex's eyes widen.

"No."

"See, I know you're lying. We checked your social media sites and asked your neighbors. This man is a well known associate. We have witnesses who place him at your apartment four days ago. So let's try this again. Do you know him?"

"Yeah, fine, I know him. That's Robert."

"Robert...?" Ryan's trying to get all he can out of Alex, but he needs a confirmation on the last name. "If you don't start talking I'm going to have to charge you with obstruction of justice maybe something worse. And I don't think you want to spend a night in lock up with someone who got busted for distributing drugs and then hospitalizing the arresting officer twice his size."

"Marrow. His name is Robert Marrow." Alex can't get the words out fast enough.

"How do you know him?"

"I've been friends with him for a while. Since like high school."

"He asked you to write those notes, didn't he?"

"Yeah. He came by about a week ago and handed me a sheet of paper with some sentences on it. He asked me if I could write it for him in calligraphy. I asked why and he got all defensive about it. Then he told me that if anyone asked to name Alyssa Morgan. I don't even know who she is. But I swear I had no idea he was going to kill anybody. I just wanted to help him out. Do the bro a solid."

"So he didn't mention his plans to you at all?"

"Nah, he rarely tells me anything anymore. I just wanted him to trust me again, but I guess that's out the window."

"Do you know where he is?"

"No. I haven't talked to him since I gave him the notes days ago."

"Okay. Thank you." Ryan gathers his stuff and leaves. Beckett and Esposito leave the viewing room in sync with Ryan. Beckett wastes no time applying this new information and formulating a plan.

"Ryan, Espo, find a way to track Marrow down. Pull financials, work with Tory. Whatever it takes. I want him in this precinct as soon as possible."

Ryan and Espositio nod and head back to their desks as Beckett heads back to her office. When she enters, she spies a small, gray box on her desk. "Hey guys?" She walks back out into the bullpen. "Does anyone know where the box on my desk came from?"

LT pipes up, "A messenger brought it by while you were in the viewing room watching Detective Ryan."

"Who is it from?"

"I don't know."

Ryan and Esposito stand up and accompany Beckett into her office. She walks over to the box. A red bow is tied on the top, a stark contrast to the muted gray. It reminds her of blood on concrete. She carefully unties the ribbon and slides the lid off. Ryan and Esposito are still, barely breathing, anxious to know what contents lie inside the package. Beckett peers inside and spies a picture. She lifts it out carefully and when she sees the image, a gasp escapes her lips. It's Castle and Johanna. Castle is lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious while Johanna is perched next to him, a terrified expression on her face.

Beckett hands the picture to Ryan as a single tear streams down her cheek. There's no note, no indication of where they are or what Marrow plans to do with them. Hope seems lost and Kate is without her rock, her home, her north star. Castle isn't here to tell her that everything will be okay; he isn't here to wipe away her tears; he isn't here to make her laugh even when she has no reason too. Instead he's trapped in some disgusting hell hole. And Kate will do anything to get him out.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey guys I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a while. I'm student teaching this year and school started a couple of weeks ago. Plus, my college classes started today so I've been extremely busy and super tired. Basically, my consistent updating has come to an end. The rest of the story will get posted I just can't guarantee when. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

"There's nothing in this picture to indicate where they're located. The only window is too small to see out of and even if we could the angle is wrong." Tory looks dejected as she hands the photo back to Beckett. Ryan and Esposito brought it to her to be analyzed, see if there was anything that could lead them to where the killer was hiding out. "However, I did run all of the surveillance footage from the parking garage at Castle's building," Tory continues. "I used facial recognition to track Castle and found this." On her screen is surveillance footage of Castle placing Johanna into his car. As he is buckling her in, a man is seen strutting across the garage. He jabs Castle in the neck with a needle and a loud gasp is heard from Kate the instant it happens. Castle drops to the ground and a second man is seen coming over and lifting Johanna out of the car. Kate cries out a panicked 'no' and a tear drops from her eye. Castle is then thrown into the trunk of the sedan and Kate finally looks away. The car backs out of the spot and Tory pauses the footage. "Here we get a clear shot of the plate." Kate's head jerks right back up at Tory's words. "I'm searching local street cams to see if I can track it."

"Ryan, run that plate, see who that car belongs to." Kate demands. Ryan nods and runs back to the bullpen.

Esposito just shakes his head. "These guys are obviously not adept at kidnapping. Anyone worth their salt would have turned off the cameras or at least known where theywere. We lucked out, Beckett. We'll get them now."

Beckett only smiles as Esposito heads out to help Ryan. She turns to face Tory. "How long is it going to take?"

"It's hard to know. There are thousands of cameras in the city and they could have gone any direction. But once we find them and the path their taking, it will be easier to track them and locate Castle."

"Yo, Beckett." Esposito pokes his head in. "Ryan found the car." Beckett heads out to Ryan's desk and once she's in ear shot Ryan begins to fill her in.

"It didn't take long to search it because the car was ticketed an hour ago by state police. It was parked illegally outside of a warehouse on West 21st street. It belongs to Vincent Marrow, Robert Marrow's brother." Ryan explains.

"Let's go." Beckett grabs her keys and heads to the exit.

* * *

Beckett's blue cruiser was the first to pull up to the abandoned warehouse, sirens blaring. Ryan and Esposito followed in their bright red unmarked and numerous squad cars were right behind. Beckett stepped out of her car and slammed the door. She wasted no time in strutting over to the ticketed sedan that led them there and checks the back and front seats before she spots something on the windshield. The boys were already making their way to the doors of the building when they heard Beckett call them back. With confused faces, they made their way over while their backup stood ready at the door. At the sedan, Beckett held up a small piece of paper with scrawled writing on it. The same writing that was on the package she received.

"What's going on?" Ryan questioned.

"This was on the car." Beckett hands it to Esposito's extended hand. "They're not here."

"Beckett, this says he wants you to come alone. To a building on Barrow and West in Greenwich. No backup. No way is that ever going to happen." Esposito declares.

"This isn't up for debate. If you go, Castle and Johanna are dead."

"If we don't go, he'll kill you," Ryan says.

"I can handle myself. I've done it before. I can do it now." She starts to head back to her cruiser. "Besides, all that matters is Johanna is safe."

Ryan turns to Esposito once Beckett is out of earshot. "We can't let her do this. She's walking into her own death."

"I know bro. I don't know about you but there is no way in hell I am letting her go without backup."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Let's go make sure that little girl still has both parents when this day is done."

* * *

Beckett arrives at the new location and turns her car off. Unlike last time, she doesn't immediately get out. She sits for a minute, takes a few deep breaths, wipes away the tears that inevitably began falling a few miles back. She knows what's at stake. She knows that walking into this building means her demise. But she doesn't care. If she has to sacrifice her life to make sure her daughter keeps her's so be it. Johanna is all that matters.

She takes a deep breath and opens her door. She steps out onto the black pavement and hears the familiar clack of her heels. The last time she'll probably ever do this. She adjusts her vest and starts to the building. Her game face is on when she enters. This is a battle. A battle to the death. And she may not win, but she will be damned if she doesn't try.

As the door closes, Ryan and Esposito's cruiser pulls into the alley. Their doors open and close simultaneously. They cock their guns and head to the door Beckett just entered. They don't know what to expect, but they only have one goal: save the people they love.

Inside it's dark. Beckett has to turn on her flashlight to see the floor. She calls out, but receives no answer, only an echo. At the end of the hall, she can see a light on up a flight of stairs, so she goes. Her gun in front of her the whole time, she arrives at the top to find another hallway full of rooms. At least this one is lit. She continues down the hall until she hears voices coming from a room at the very end. The door is slightly ajar and she backs up against the opposite wall to get a clear view inside. She can make out two voices: both male, one deeper than the other. They're sitting at a desk facing a monitor. She can't tell what the screen shows though.

Suddenly, she hears a noise from behind her. She swivels her head to see where it came from and spots her boys approaching the top of the stairs. When they're in eye sight, she flashes them a 'get out of here now' look and checks to see if the men heard anything. However, when she looks back she finds one of the men missing and Castle and Johanna on the monitor. It's a live stream to wherever they're being held. She once again looks back at the boys and signals them to make themselves scarce. She's going in and she doesn't want their cover blown.


	8. Chapter 8

Beckett makes a move for the door, gun at the ready. Ryan and Esposito are expertly hidden in one of the empty rooms, out of sight but ready to pounce at the first sign of trouble. Beckett enters, "NYPD, show me your hands." The men, one still at the monitor **,** the other in the corner getting coffee, freeze. On sight Beckett knows which one is the killer and which one is along for the ride. The man at the monitor, Vincent, has his hands raised, while Robert Marrow stands with a fresh cup of Joe in his hands and a smug smile on his face.

"Captain Beckett, you came."

"Hands, now, Marrow."

"Oh, Kate, you know that if you shoot me you'll never get your family back. So why come in here demanding like this?"

"I'm not in the mood for games." Beckett is a little taken aback by the use of her first name, but she plays it cool. Marrow is as unpredictable as they come and she no idea what he has up his sleeve.

"Neither am I." Marrow's coffee hits the ground and sloshes as he draws his weapon. "Now, Captain, I suggest we take a little field tip."

"You're not the one in charge here, Marrow."

"I beg to differ. I hold your family's fate in my hands, so if you want them alive I suggest you listen to me."

"I don't take orders from killers."

"Then I guess we're doing this the hard way." Marrow nods to his brother, and before Beckett knows it, Vincent is on her. He captures her shoulders and tries to pull her to the ground, but she grabshim and flips him over. He retaliates by grasping her leg and pulling as hard as he can. Beckett goes down, not expecting such a grade school move. She lands hard on her back and her face contorts in pain. She looks up to find Marrow looking down at her with two guns pointing at her face, his and hers. Damn it.

Marrow forces Beckett down the hall. She's zip tied and struggling. As they pass Ryan and Esposito's hiding spot, she glances back and makes eye contact with Ryan who elbows Espo and points to Beckett. Esposito sighs quietly and gives a look that screams 'really Beckett?'.' Ryan grabs his arm and drags him out of the room and down the hall after her.

* * *

The basement Marrow forces her into is dark, the only light coming from a bulb hanging from the ceiling swinging back and forth ominously. After being dragged down eight flights of stairs, Beckett is pissed. She let them get the upper hand and now she has no plan except for whatever Ryan and Esposito have designed to save her.

Marrow stops in the middle of the dingy room. There's no windows and the only door is a huge, metal one secured with an industrial sized lock. There's no escape. Marrow throws her on the ground and her knees slap the concrete floor hard.

"Now the show begins." Marrow's lips form a wicked smile and Beckett stares at him in disbelief. Vincent moves to the door and unlocks it. The creak it makes is deafening in the quiet space and then it slams the wall. Beckett hears a little scream in response to the sound and her head shoots up. "Johanna" she whispers. Marrow enters the room and drags out a reluctant Castle and a whimpering Johanna. Beckett plasters a smile to her face to try and assure her family, and herself, that everything will be okay. Castle notices her as he's thrown on the ground on the opposite side of the room.

"Are you okay?" he asks. Beckett nods her response, her throat too clogged with tears she refuses to shed to be able to answer verbally. Johanna climbs into Castle's lap and offers her mom a small wave. She's still whimpering and Beckett want nothing more than to run to her and clam her fears.

Marrow suddenly jerks her up of the ground and holds a gun to her heart. Castle moves to her but is held back by Vincent.

"Castle, I'm okay," Kate says. Castle doesn't look convinced. Instead he looks away.

"We've finally reached the main event. Everything has been building to this moment. And I can't wait for the big finish." Marrow explains.

"Why?" Beckett asks. "Why are you doing this? Why are you putting my family through this?"

"Why? Why?" Marrow laughs. "Because you insulted me! You challenged me! 'You're incapable of committing murder' you said. Well, I guess I'll be proving you wrong. You can think about that while you're bleeding out on the floor in front of your daughter." He presses the gun harder into her chest and she flinches in pain.

"What do Castle and Johanna have to do with this? They didn't do anything to you."

"Well, if you're going to do it, you better make it big. That's always been my motto. So why not apply it here. Besides, I do my best work with an audience. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get on with the show." His finger moves the trigger a half an inch, but before he can pull it the rest of the way, Castle is on his feet. "Hey!" he shouts.

Confused, Marrow turns his attention to Castle. "You want an audience," Castle states, "I can give you an audience."

"Drop your weapon!" Esposito shouts as he and Ryan move into the room from the stairwell.

"One more step and I shoot" Marrow says.

"I don't really think you're in a position to be bargaining." Ryan discloses as ten squad guys enter the room behind them. "Told you we'd have your back, Beckett."

Surrounded, Marrow drops his weapon. One of the squad guys runs to him to grab the gun, but Vincent beats him to it. He points it at Beckett and without hesitation pulls the trigger. Beckett crumbles to ground. The squad team immediately charges Vincent and tackles him. Ryan grabs his radio to call the incident in and Esposito moves to grab a screaming Johanna. Castle hurries to Beckett's side and sinks to the floor next to her.

"Beckett! Beckett, look at me!" Castle cries.

"Rick." Beckett responds.

"Hey. Hey, don't leave me. Don't leave me. We need you." Castle searches for her wound and when he finds it on her lower abdomen, he puts pressure on it. Beckett winces in response.

"I know. I'm not... going anywhere. I love you."

"I love you, Kate. Always."

"Hey, hey, is she okay?" Ryan asks, running over after making sure that the shooter was apprehended and taken away successfully.

"She's doing better than the last time." Castle forces a smile and a small laugh at the irony of the current situation.

"Good. The ambulance is on the way."

"Hear that, Beckett? Help is on the way. You're going to be fine."

"Johanna?" Beckett asks.

"Esposito's got her. She's fine. She's fine."

"Good. That's good."

And then Beckett's world goes black.

* * *

I am back! For now at least. I finally got this chapter written and it was surprisingly hard. It went in a different direction than I thought it would but I think that it works. It might feel a little rushed for some of you but I just write what comes to my mind so this is what you get. Believe me, this is not what I was expecting either! So, I'm going to go start the next chapter. Thank you all for staying with me, college has been rough so far this year. I'm trying. Stay tuned for chapter 9. Love ya!


	9. Chapter 9

Beckett wakes up to white walls and the smell of bleach. Her stomach is sore and she has no idea how she got here. She tries to sit up, but the searing pain in her abdomen prevents her from moving too far. Her police instincts kicking in, she surveys her surroundings. There's a chair by her bed and a coffee on the bedside table. The glass doors give her a good view of a hallway filled with people clad in scrubs. ' _How did I get in a hospital?'_ she thinks.

Castle briefly passes the door, pacing back and forth while talking on the phone. She watches him and reads his body. He seems stressed and worried, maybe even scared. He ends the call and looks into Beckett's room. He sees she's awake, smiles, and enters.

"Hey. You're awake."

"Yeah." Beckett sighs. "Castle, what happened?"

"Do you not remember?"

"No, it's all a little fuzzy. I remember you being in trouble and risking my life to save you and Jo, but I don't remember exactly how I got here."

"Kate, honey, you were shot."

"What? Is that why I'm so sore?"

"Yes. You came to save us."

Beckett sighs once again and tries to remember.

"Mrs. Castle, you're awake. Excellent." Kate looks up to see a tall, brunette woman in a lab coat and scrubs enter the room. She stops beside Castle and surveys her patient before she speaks again. "I'm Doctor Gordon. How are you feeling?"

"Like I just got shot, which apparently I did. Again."

"Well, as I told your husband and family before, you lost a lot of blood. When we got you into surgery, we realized it was coming from a nicked artery in your abdomen. We were able to sew that up no problem. Now, your kidney sustained major damaged and we had to remove it. Luckily, you can live with one kidney so you will be just fine. Do you have any questions?"

"No. Not right now. Comeback in a few hours and I might."

"Of course. I will be here to check on you every few hours and a nurse will be in every hour. You're in good hands, Mrs. Castle." Dr. Gordon then turns to leave to give her patient some time to process all of this.

"I do have one question for you though," Kate says after Dr. Gordon leaves the room.

"Shoot." Kate glares at his choice of words. "Sorry," he apologizes.

"Are you and Johanna okay? Where is she? I saw blood on her face."

"That is more than one question."

"Just answer me, Castle. I was really worried about you two."

"I know you were. We're fine. Johanna needed stitches, but I sat and I held her as they did it. She's strong just like her mom. She's out in the waiting room with my mother and Alexis. She's fine."

Kate lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Good. How are you?"

"I'm fine now that you're awake. I have some minor bruising and a slight concussion, but they said that I should be fine."

"You were drugged, Castle. How are you going to be fine?"

Castle reaches up and places his hand on the bandage that covers the needle puncture on his neck. "They said it passed through my system and there should be no side effects. Kate, I promise, I'm fine. I'm more concerned about you."

"Yeah, I guess I really scared you, didn't I?" Kate looks down at the blanket and occupies herself with picking at some imaginary lint. She doesn't want to think about what she put him through. Too many memories of the first time she was shot; too many broken hearts. The last thing she wanted was for Castle to go through that again.

Castle comes and sits gingerly on the side of Kate's bed. He places his hand on top of hers and uses his other hand to tilt her head up to look him in the eyes. All she sees is fear in his beautiful blue irises and her heart stops for a second because of the pain she's put him through.

"Every time you leave the loft I'm worried you won't be home. I'm not there to protect you anymore. I'm not there to jump in front of a bullet to save your life. Today just reminded me of all of the times you, and I, have been here because of your job. I don't want to lose you, Kate. I don't want our daughter to grow up without her mother. But I know that you love your job and I don't want you to give that up. I just want you to not be so ready to sacrifice your life. I need you to come home."

By now tears are shining in Castle's eyes and Kate can't help but let a tear fall down her cheek. She nods her head and bites her bottom lip.

"I'm so sorry, Castle," Kate chokes out. "I promise I will be more careful. I don't want Johanna to go through what I did. I don't want you to have to be a single father again. I will always come home to you. I promise. Always."

Castle leans in and places a chaste kiss on Kate's lips to seal her promise. He pulls back and looks into her gorgeous hazel eyes and sees that she means it. She will always do her best to make it home to their family.

A sudden knock on the glass door jolts them out of their moment. They both turn to see who it is and smile when they see Alexis standing outside with a very tired Johanna. Castle gestures for Alexis to come in and she opens the door and steps inside. Beckett eagerly reaches her arms out for her baby girl and Alexis gladly passes the toddler over to her mother.

"How are you feeling?" Alexis asks as she makes the trade.

"I'm doing better now that I have this one in my arms." Kate smiles at her daughter and looks her over to assess the damage for herself. Castle was right, she is doing pretty good under the circumstances. She places a light kiss on Johanna's forehead and Jo snuggles deeper into her mother as a response.

"Someone's happy to see her mom," Alexis comments.

"I think we all are," Castle replies as he walks over to put his arm around Alexis.

"You know, you two really scared Gram and I today."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that, Alexis. It's all my fault. Just something coming back to bite me like always," Kate says.

"Kate, it's not your fault a psycho decided to kidnap me and Jo," Castle replies.

"Kinda feels like it is."

"But hey, you saved the day, so it sort of evens out, right?" Alexis offers.

Kate gives small smile at that and starts rocking Johanna back and forth as much as she can with her injuries.

"Well, I'm gonna go tell Gram that you're doing okay. I'll be back later," Alexis explains as she turns to leave.

As soon as Alexis is gone Castle moves to once again sit on the edge of Beckett's bed. "You know I don't blame you for any of this." Castle states. "In fact, I'm kinda grateful. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be dead right now."

"I wouldn't blame you if you blamed me for this, though. I put our daughter in danger, Rick."

"Kate, look at me. Really look at me. Does it look like I'm mad at you? Does it look like I blame you for this?"

"No. But -"

"No 'buts.' I don't want you tearing yourself up over this. I'm okay. Johanna is okay. You're okay. That's all that matters."

"Okay. You're right. I'm just a little… I don't know, crazy, right now, I guess."

"You just got out of major surgery after being shot, you're allowed to be a little crazy and a little emotional right now."

"We're gonna be okay, right Rick?"

"We're gonna be just fine. I promise."

With that Castle places a kiss to Kate's temple followed by a kiss to Johanna's. It might take some time to heal, but this little family is going to be perfectly okay.

* * *

A/N Everyone was so worried that I was going to kill Kate! I wasn't expecting that. I could never kill off my favorite character. Anyway, this is the last chapter. I was going to do another one but I like where this ended so I'm going to leave it here. I had so much fun writing this and hope you guys had fun reading it! Thank you all so much for all the follows, favorites, and reviews. They all mean so much to me. :)


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